This invention relates generally to wheelchairs and to accessory items for use with wheelchairs. More particularly, it relates to an accessory apparatus which is intended to aid in the lateral support of the torso area, including ribs and shoulders, of a person seated and situated within a wheelchair.
It has long been recognized that persons who need to be ambulated with the assistance of a wheelchair very often also need to be provided with additional torso support within the wheelchair itself For example, persons who have postural problems due to spine weakness or spine deformity often need to have auxiliary torso support, via rib and/or shoulder support, so that they can sit both safely and comfortably in an upright position within the wheelchair. One such device which provides this type of support is disclosed by Kornberg in U.S. Pat. No. 5,362,082. In the experience of this inventor, however, such devices often have limitations in the types of wheelchairs they can be attached to and in the way that they can be used. For example, one wheelchair user may require lateral low back support in one direction and lateral upper back support in the opposite direction due to his or her scoliotic condition. This would mean that a torso support member would need to be closer to center on one side of the occupant""s spine and the opposite support member would need to be higher or lower than the other and further from center to the other side of his or her spine. The next user of the same chair may require just the opposite arrangement for support. Yet another wheelchair occupant may have the same spinal deformity but require wider girth adjustment due to his or her larger frame or size. Still another may need to be supported by his or her ribs on one side and by his or her shoulder on the other. In short, the adjustments that may be required or desired are as many and as varied as the persons who require or desire to use such wheelchairs.
It is, therefore, a principal object of this invention to provide a new, useful and uncomplicated apparatus for providing lateral torso support of a wheelchair user. It is a further object of this invention to provide such an apparatus which requires only a minimal number of elements and which requires only a minimal number of steps to utilize. It is yet another object of this invention to provide such an apparatus which can be readily used by a wide variety of wheelchair occupants having upper torso weakness or spinal deformities of almost every kind and nature. It is still another object of this invention to provide such an apparatus which is readily and quickly adjustable so as to quickly and easily accommodate the many sizes and shapes of persons who may need to be seated within the wheelchair itself. It is still another object of this invention to provide such an apparatus which may be variably used to apply support to the wheelchair occupant""s rib cage area and/or to his or her shoulder area.
The present invention has obtained these objects. It provides for a first support member which is functionally adapted to be mounted to the back of the frame of a typical wheelchair. This first support member includes a longitudinally extending support tube which is removably attachable to the back of the wheelchair. Integral to the tube and located at each of its ends is a quick release locking mechanism. Also located at the ends of the support tube, and insertable within the ends of the support tube, is a pair of complimentary support rod members. Each support rod member is slidable within its corresponding end of the support tube. Additionally, each support rod member is rotatable within that end of the support tube. Each support rod member is engagable with the quick release mechanism at one end and fixably attached to a support arm at the other. Each support arm includes a forwardly extending pad support member at the end of which is mounted a pad member. Each pad member is limitedly rotatable about the pad support member and movable inwardly and outwardly of the support member such that its position may be adjustable about the pad support member. Each pad member can be constructed or configured in a variety of shapes depending upon the support which is desired or required. With this configuration, each pad support member and pad member can be quickly, easily and independently adjustable upwardly and outwardly relative to the torso of the wheelchair occupant. The foregoing and other features of the device of the present invention will be further apparent from the description which follows.